Although facing lethal WEC featherweight champion Jose Aldo probably isn’t on the top of most fighters’ to-do list, defeating the Brazilian striker is now a requirement to take the belt.

Former UFC lightweight contender Manny Gamburyan did his best to stake his claim to a title shot at WEC 48 with a stunning knockout of former champ Mike Brown.

But WEC general manager Reed Harris recently told MMAjunkie.com Radio (www.mmajunkie.com/radio) he isn’t ready to declare him a No. 1 contender just yet and said this month’s WEC 49 show – and its co-main event – could play a factor in the decision.

WEC 49, of course, takes place June 20 and features a bout with two additional featherweight contenders with Josh Grispi (13-1 MMA, 3-0 WEC) taking on L.C. Davis (16-2 MMA, 3-0 WEC) at Rexall Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

Both 145-pounders are 3-0 in the WEC, and their bout co-headliners WEC 49’s Versus broadcast, which assures plenty of exposure for the winner and possible title challenger.

Gamburyan (11-4 MMA, 3-0 WEC), of course, garnered some headlines of his own when he viciously knocked out Brown during the WEC’s first-ever pay-per-view event back in April. And like Grispi and Davis, Gamburyan also is 3-0 in the WEC.

So who gets the title shot?

It depends on a few factors, Harris said.

“We’ve got June in front of us, and then after that we’ve got a show in August that we haven’t announced yet,” Harris told MMAjunkie.com Radio. “The fights after that, we’re just not there yet. We like to see what happens in these fights. That way the best guy, the freshest guy, is the guy competing.”

After all, defeating Aldo (17-1 MMA, 7-0 WEC), who won title from Brown in November as part of his current 10-fight win streak, is no easy task. And attempting to do it while at less than 100 percent is far from a sound game plan.

That’s why the nod may go to do Gamburyan, who’s already had a month and a half to recover from the Brown fight.

And Harris thinks the Armenian’s accomplishments – and his confidence – would suit him well for the challenge if he does, indeed, get the title shot.

“I think everybody [at WEC 48] was surprised (about the win) except for Manny,” he said. “Manny wasn’t surprised. He came up afterward and said, ‘Dude, I knew that was going to happen.’

“With striking like that and his wrestling and judo, he tells me he thinks he can beat Aldo. Manny has been in some big fights. He fought for the UFC. Here’s a guy that’s seasoned and has a good camp.”

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